WILLEMSTAD - The woman C.M.B.-J. (Colombia, 1964) was convicted by the judge in Willemstad on Friday for sheltering illegal residents against payment. It concerns, according to the law, a (slight) form of human smuggling. B.-J. was sentenced to a conditional prison sentence of 12 months and a community service of 240 hours. According to the judge, the suspect had to know better and she was seriously negligent when, for profit, she offered shelter to illegal immigrants.

The prosecutor of the Public Prosecution (OM) demanded, in this case, a prison sentence for the duration of 18 months of which 9 months conditional and 3 years’ probation.

In accordance with the indictment of the Public Prosecutor of Curaçao, the woman has acted in violation of article 2: 154 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code Curaçao by giving 10 undocumented migrants (Venezuela) a place to stay against payment at an address on the Siouxweg. Each of the victims had to pay the defendant about 300 guilders for this service. She acted in this for profit.

Also, according to the Public Prosecutor's Office (OvJ), her actions were in violation of the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and in the Sky and in violation of the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (New York 2000).

The woman was arrested on 7 February 2018 and was detained for 21 days as part of the investigation. Her detention was suspended on 1 March 2018 by the Judge under certain conditions. One of the conditions was that she was not allowed to leave the island and had to be present at court today, 29 June 2018.